Learn about a dog breed > Dog breeds > Mastiff Puppy Breed Information
Return to Animal List
 |
| Name: |
Mastiff |
| Average Maximum Height: |
27.5-30in |
| Average Maximum Weight: |
175-190lb |
| Colors: |
colour is apricot-fawn, silver-fawn, fawn, or dark fawn-brindle, always with black on the muzzle, ears, and nose and around the eyes. |
| Coat: |
straight, course topcoat with a protective winter undercoat |
| Grooming Required: |
Minimal |
| Good with Children: |
Yes |
| Good with Pets: |
Yes |
| Best Kept: |
Outdoors |
Activity Level
(1 low; 10 high): |
4 |
| Trainability: |
Low |
| Originates From: |
Great Britain |
| Origin Date: |
Antiquity |
| Original Use: |
Guarding |
| Current Use: |
Companion, guarding |
| Other Names: |
English Mastiff |
| Life Expectancy: |
9-11yrs |
| AKC Recognition: |
Yes |
| Year Recognized: |
1885 |
| Class: |
Working |
|  |
 |
 |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Quick Links |
|
| |
Mastiff puppies for sale
Mastiff breeders
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Common Traits |
|
| |
Prone to cardiomyopathy, hip and elbow dyplasia, and bloating |
|
| |
|
|
| |
History |
|
|
The Mastiff name probably evolved from the Anglo-Saxon word "masty", meaning "powerful". The Mastiff is descended from the ancient Alaunt and Molosser and is recognized as the oldest British breed. The Mastiff might have been brought to Britain in the 6th century BC. It was used in the blood sports of bear-baiting, bull-baiting, dog fighting, and lion-baiting. Throughout its long history, the Mastiff has contributed to the development of a number of dog breeds.
When Sir Peers Legh was wounded in the Battle of Agincourt, his Mastiff stood over and protected him for many hours through the battle. Although Legh later died, the Mastiff returned to Legh's home and was the foundation of the Lyme Hall Mastiffs. Five centuries later this pedigree figured prominently in founding the modern breed.1
Some evidence exists that the Mastiff came to America on the Mayflower, but the breed's documented entry to America did not occur until the late 1800s.
In 1835, Britain passed legislation making baiting illegal. Subsequently, the Mastiff lost popularity and was virtually decimated in England by the Second World War; however, sufficient numbers had been brought to America by that time to keep the breed going. Since that time, it has gradually risen in popularity. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Miscellaneous |
|
| |
Litter Size: 2-5
Edwards, S. (1800), wrote in the Cynographia Britannica, London: C. Whittingham:
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sinking before him. His courage does not exceed its temper and generosity and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race. His docility is perfect; the teasing of the smaller kinds will hardly provoke him to resent, and I have seen him down with his paw the Terrier or cur that has bit him, without offering further injury. In a family he will permit the children to play with him and will suffer all their little pranks without offence. The blind ferocity of the bulldog will often wound the hand of the master who assists him to combat, but the Mastiff distinguishes perfectly, enters the field with temper, and engages the attack as if confident of success: if he overpowers, or is beaten, his master may take him immediately in his arms and fear nothing. This ancient and faithful domestic, the pride of our island, uniting the useful, the brave and the docile, though sought by foreign nations and perpetuated on the continent, is nearly extinct where he was probably an aborigine, or is bastardized by numberless crosses, everyone of which degenerate from the invaluable character of the parent, who was deemed worthy to enter the Roman amphitheatre and in the presence of the masters of the world, encounter the pard and assail even the lord of the savage tribes, whose courage was sublimed by torrid suns, and found none gallant enough to oppose him on the deserts of Zaara or the plains of Numidia."
* Hercules is the world's heaviest living canine at 282 lbs.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Searching for a or
? Look no further. Animaroo has
and
Don’t forget to look at all
on the site and Mastiff rescue .
Still deciding what might be right for you?
Take a look at all of our and
and even
dogs for adoption.
Mastiff Puppy Breed Information
|
|
Sources
|
 |
 |
 |
|
